


Anchor

by wordswithdragons



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:57:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7370119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordswithdragons/pseuds/wordswithdragons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Shut up Captain." He grinned at her. "Make me, Gyatso." / He's a pirate. She's his hostage. A simple ransom deal. What could go wrong? The answer: everything. Aboard The Waterbender, a pirate Captain and a woman of high-society are going to find the last thing they ever expected. [Kai/Jinora] Rated T for some violence, abuse, coarse language and sexual tension.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Otaku's Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> To clarify some things in the summary, the abuse/violence is not between the two leads, rather, between them and other people in their lives. The coarse language is throughout and the violence is in multiple places, mostly towards the end. 
> 
> I think that's about everything I have to address. From here, sit back and enjoy the ride!

The waves lapped against the hull of the ship as a breeze rolled over the water. A man stood with one leg on the wooden railing around the ship, leaning over slightly next to the pulley that hoisted the anchor; the great weight was in the water, leaving only a thick metal chain to show for it. He gazed out on the horizon, squinting to make out the tiny rowboat making its way to his ship. Far beyond that was the Mainland, Port Bosco, with low rolling hills and a bustling marketplace. It was a good thing it was busy: everyone would have been too busy with their errands to notice a particular one of theirs.

"Is the girl there, Kai?" his first mate Yung asked, as the pudgy man joined his side.

"Hard to tell," the Captain replied. "Pass me a telescope, would ya?" A thin, bald man named Daw tossed him one from up on the grid of ropes that connected to the mast, sitting comfortably in one of the grid spaces. "Thanks Daw," he called up.

"No problem Cap," Daw called back.

Kai tilted his head up so he could place the spyglass against one of his bright green eyes. The breeze ruffled the collar of his white shirt, most of the buttons undone, the rim lightly tucked into his belt. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, balancing one on the knee of his brown pants. Now with a clearer view, he could make out Otaku and Appa sitting in the rowboat with oars in their hands. Both men were on the larger side, but whereas it was a difficulty to get Otaku to shut up, Appa hardly ever spoke. And seated on the bench in between them was the girl.

Perhaps girl wasn't the most accurate word, Kai thought. She was very clearly a young woman, sitting up straight, in a white blouse and a light blue dress over top, but still quite curvaceous. Her dark hair - brown or black, he couldn't quite tell from this distance - was pulled back into ringlets, twisted up into an elegant bun on her head and made her curls spill over her shoulders. The stories he'd heard about her had said she was very beautiful, and he knew that it still didn't really do her justice. Not that it mattered, she wouldn't be here for long. Her father Governor Tenzin would pay a nice amount of yuans for her and then the governor would get her back safe and sound in no time, hopefully under a week at most.

As soon as the rowboat pulled up against the hull, ropes with hooks were lowered and fastened onto the stern and bow of the tiny boat. Yung joined a few other members of the crew and hoisted the rowboat back up; Kai helped as well, even though as Captain he was technically exempt from such trivial duties. Appa and Otaku climbed out of the boat and onto the deck.

"Everything went according to plan?" Kai checked. According to the information they had collected about the young woman's whereabouts, she had been in Port Bosco alone, waiting to catch a ship back home to the nearby Air Temple Island. It was a quick interception and kidnapping, although they had never really done something like this before. The gold they had was starting to run out however, and this was a surefire way to get themoney they needed in case their ship, The Waterbender, got damaged.

"Of course Captain," Otaku answered.

"So it's your fault I'm here?" Kai stared at the young woman, who had crossed her arms over her chest, and was glaring at him. He could see only a flicker of fear in her eyes, but her glare never wavered when their eyes met.

"You won't be here long, Miss Gyatso, no need to be so hostile," Kai said, smirking a little. "As soon as your father pays the money, we'll take you right back home."

"That won't be for a while," Gyatso said, standing up. Otaku offered her assistance to help her out of the boat but she shrugged it off, stepping onto the deck and smoothing out her dress. "My father's checking on a business deal on Whale Tale Island. It'll take at least a month for the message to reach him, and another three for him to travel back here. It seems to me this plan wasn't thought out very well, Captain. Perhaps next time you create a plan you should do so more thoroughly."

Kai's eyes widened and for a moment he just stared at her in surprise, before a slew of swear words flew from his mouth. "Dammit Otaku, didn't youcheck the governor's schedule?" he snapped, clenching his fists, and cringed at how harshly it came out when Otaku cowered in front of him.

"I - I tried, I checked but it must have changed last minute, I'm sorry Captain," Otaku's voice wavered. Kai's expression softened.

"It's…it's alright Otaku." He clapped the man on the shoulder. He sighed. "Well, it looks like Gyatso will be here for longer than expected."

"My name's Jinora," she said, although nobody seemed to be listening.

"Can't we just drop her off?" Daw suggested.

"We'd never be able to kidnap her again though," Appa piped up. "I think she should stay."

"Do I get any say in this matter?" Jinora said testily.

"Not a word," Kai said cheerfully. "But no, she'll have to stay. We can pick up some more food at the next market, and the cabin boy's quarters haven't been used in years." His old room was on the smaller side, but it would be fine. "Yung, can you take here there? She has some belongings to unpack, right?" Kai noticed a creamy white handbag clamped firmly in her hands. It wasn't big, but it must have been holding something.

Jinora was still glaring at him as Yung led her below decks, and Kai rolled his eyes. Spoiled little rich girl. Really, as far as kidnappings went, this could way worse for her.

"And men, as much as I'm sure I don't have to say this, I don't want to see anybody making any unwanted advances towards Gyatso, got it?" They were all good men, and Kai wasn't really worried, but he was sure he couldn't hurt to say it. They weren't usually ever around women, let alone one so pretty. And there was no harm in admitting he thought Jinora was pretty, after all.

He wondered what it was going to be like, having her around. Hopefully she wouldn't always be so angry. Yung could look after her, he figured. Or Otaku. She didn't seem to be mad at either of them. What had he done to get her so angry at him so fast, anyway? Maybe it was because he was the Captain, and her kidnapping had been his idea.

It wasn't like it was ideal for him either, honestly.

Kai crossed his arms over his chest as the anchor was lifted, and they set off into the open sea. Stupid, angry spoiled little rich girl. Whatever.

* * *

"Miss Jinora refuses to come down for supper," Yung told him a few hours later. Kai huffed.

"Let her go hungry then," he said, waving his hand. He wondered if her family had realized what had happened yet, if they'd gotten the ransom note. It must have been hard, to be apart from your family, although he couldn't speak from experience; he had never had a family to begin with, and the crew was the closest thing to it he had, and he had never been apart from them. He could imagine it though, and a bit of pity welled up inside him. "Actually," he added, stopping Yung in his tracks. "Bring her some food. She'll need some time to adjust. I have a feeling Gyatso's pretty stubborn."

"Why do you call Miss Jinora that, Kai?" Yung asked. "Gyatso, I mean?"

Kai shrugged. "'Cause that's what she is, a Gyatso. One of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom, besides the BeiFongs and the Satos maybe."

Yung smiled. "It's just funny, she only ever calls you Captain."

"Without the respect, I'm sure," Kai grinned. For most the crew, it was an unnecessary title, as they had known him for a long time before he became Captain. He was much younger than most of the crew, the majority of them being in their late 20s or early 30s, while he had only just hit 22. Jinora, he thought, must be close to his age as well. "Well, it's nice to know we're on the same page. Hopefully she'll get off her high horse and join the rest of us for dinner soon."

Yung nodded. "Why Kai, you're not actually hoping to see more of her, are you?" he teased.

Kai rolled his eyes. "That's Captain to you Yung, now shut up and bring her the food." Yung simply smiled as he left with a small tray of food, consisting of soup and a few pieces of bread and some meat. Like he'd ever want to actually be around that spoiled brat. If she was less angry, maybe, but otherwise, Kai was going to stay clear of her. He had enough to worry about without her less than stellar temperament being added onto the pile.

Yung came back a few minutes later with only the meat. "Apparently Miss Jinora's a vegetarian," he explained, and Kai shrugged.

"Add it to your meal then, or divide it up," he replied.

Kai couldn't help but smile as he took his place at the head of the table, his crew seated all around him, talking and laughing and eating all at once. He felt at home, and made sure Otaku knew he was forgiven when he gave him an extra piece of bread from his own plate.

So what if Otaku's mistake had made things a little more inconvenient? It didn't have to change anything.

(Oh how wrong he was.)

* * *

Jinora came to breakfast.

Kai only noticed because a silence fell over the men, the woman hovering in the doorway of their cramped dining hall. The long wooden table that went along the length of the room had chairs crammed in as much as possible, with Daw's lean figure weaving in and out as the he served the men a combination of bacon strips and gray slop that tasted far better than it looked. Kai sighed as everyone's eyes turned to Jinora, and he cleared his throat. His crew hastily diverted their gaze, and conversation picked up again per usual.

"You can have my seat, Miss Jinora," Otaku offered, his chair scraping against the floor as he got out of his seat. "I need to check our course for Half-Moon Bay, anyway, and it's best to get an early start."

The corners of Jinora's mouth lifted as she sat down in the chair. "Thank you…Otaku, right?"

He nodded. "That's right ma'am." Otaku paused and placed a hand on Kai's shoulder on his way to the door. "Captain, I just wanted to apologize, again for-"

Kai waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, you made an honest mistake. I'm sorry I snapped at you." Otaku smiled a little before leaving; Kai watched him go, feeling Jinora's eyes on him. "Problem, Gyatso?" he asked, directing his attention to her. Jinora looked a little disheveled, with her hair pulled back into a simple elegant bun far less complicated than her up-do the previous day, and her face was makeup free, but she still looked like a porcelain doll, a typical woman of high-society. The only thing that ruined her portrait was the way her features were perpetually angry, even if she did seem a little surprised.

He arched an eyebrow at her, trailing his fingers over the stubble on his jaw. "Gyatso?" he repeated, when she didn't say anything.

"You're not what I expected a pirate captain to be like," Jinora shrugged.

"And what did you expect?" Kai said.

"More bloodthirsty, ruthless, intimidating," she said flatly. Clothed, she added mentally, as only the two lower buttons of Kai's loose white shirt were buttoned, the majority of his bare chest revealed. "Older, too. More mature." Kai couldn't have been older than 22 at most.

Kai stuck his tongue out at her and she wrinkled her nose. "Nice try Gyatso, but I'm plenty intimidating to those who know my reputation with a sword. And there's no way you're older than me, anyhow."

"I'm definitely smarter, however," Jinora replied smoothly, before taking a sip of her glass of water. Yung tried to hide a smile.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Yung, you're in charge of Gyatso. Give her a tour of the ship and make sure she doesn't touch anything."

"Why, so I can't damage it like I did to your fragile ego, Captain?" Jinora smirked, while Kai narrowed his eyes at her.

Kai pouted slightly when Yung snickered. "She got you there, Kai." Kai shot him a sharp look. "I mean, of course Captain." He turned his laugh into a cough. Kai rose from the table. "Oh, and I think Momo fell asleep on lookout again."

Kai sighed. That would mean a good 10 minutes of climbing, to get to the crow's nest on top, and 15 back down, especially if he had to carry the kid. "Alright, I'll go wake him up. Daw!" The bald man's head whipped in his direction. "Keep something aside for Momo, will ya?" Daw nodded. "Damn kid, I swear he can sleep anywhere. I just hope he picked a safe spot to doze off in this time…" Kai shook his head, running a hand through his hair, before heading out of the dining hall.

"So Yung…you're the first mate, I assume?" Jinora said, after finishing up her bowl of slop.

"That I am, Miss Jinora," he affirmed.

"Who is Momo, anyway?" Jinora asked, as she and Yung left the hall and climbed a set of stairs to go through another doorway and opened onto the deck. It was a breezy day, the water that churned underneath the ship only a few shades darker than the sunny sky above, as the ship cut smoothly through the waters. The crew was already spread out. Otaku was at a table with maps spread out around him, and Appa was listening to a bored-looking man named Ryu speak.

"Appa's nephew," Yung answered. "Scrappy boy, only 18. He's the only one of us younger than Kai, actually. He's a hard-worker, sometimes, but just forgetful. Not the brightest either. But he's a good kid." Yung pointed up to the mast, where Kai was climbing the ropes and hopped over into the crow's nest, landing neatly on his feet.

A lanky boy with messy brown hair and brilliant green eyes was startled awake. Jinora found herself thinking he was like some sort of monkey as Momo quickly scrambled down the ropes, Kai on his heels. Kai dropped onto his feet and straightened up, shooting Momo a stern look. "It's not healthy, staying up there all night."

"You used to do it all the time when you were younger," Yung pointed out, grinning. Kai had the decency to look sheepish.

"Aren't you supposed to be giving Gyatso a tour, first mate?" Kai said, giving Momo a light shove forwards. "You can go say hi, but then I need you to help Skoochy clean the upper deck near the steering wheel." Then he headed over to speak with Otaku.

Momo grinned brightly at them. "Hiya Missus Jinora, how ya doing?"

"As well as a woman being held hostage can," Jinora replied. Momo beamed at her for a second longer, before Yung gave him a pointed look and he scampered off. "How old is your dear Captain, anyhow, if Momo's the youngest?"

"22," Yung answered. "But he became Captain when he was 16."

Jinora raised her eyebrows. "That's awfully young."

"Yes," Yung said, and then quickly pointed over to the steering wheel section, where Momo and another young man were mopping the deck, almost as if he was trying to change the conversation. Jinora let it drop; she'd press it later. "That's Skoochy, and then there's Imaru, he's the one arm-wrestling with Appa. Daw's the cook." He saw Jinora trying to place the names with the faces. "Don't worry, you'll learn who everyone is soon enough. Now, why don't I show you around the ship and give you a proper tour?"

"I must say," Jinora said, once Yung finished showing her the main deck. ("It's simple really, the mast, stern and bow with the steering wheel, and then there's a door that leads to the bathroom and one to a separate weapon room from the one below decks, which is also where everyone sleeps.") "When I was captured, I feared the worst. If you didn't call yourselves pirates, I wouldn't think of you as them."

"We're pirates were morals, ma'am," Yung said with a grin, opening the door for her as they journeyed below decks again.

"What type of business do you deal in then? Pirates by nature raid ships, so what sorts of ships do you go after?" Jinora inquired, as Yung led her down a hallway to another room, this one full of weapons. Gleaming and well-attended to, they certainly weren't just here for decoration. As much as it seemed they had no plans of hurting her, Jinora had to remind herself they were still pirates.

"Rich merchant ships," Yung said. "We try to go after ones where losing the ship won't hurt the owner's investments too much. More like it's just an annoying thorn in their side. Oh, and we make a point to go after slave-trade ships."

Jinora's eyes widened. "Y-you don't _keep_ slaves, do you?"

"Oh no, no," said Yung quickly. "Of course not. Quite the opposite, in fact: we free them. Give them a way home. One of them have even joined the crew, Skoochy, out of choice of course."

Jinora didn't want to say it was quite admirable of them, because as much as they weren't being cruel to her, they had still kidnapped her. Taken her away from her home and her family. "Why do you need the ransom money, anyway? Can't you just raid a merchant's ship?"

"A member of the crew, he lost his leg over a year ago. Kai insisted on getting him the best prosthetic available. And when we attack slave ships, we always give the gold on them to the freed men, not to us, even if there's injuries or damage to our ship," Yung explained. "You can see how, over time, what with needing to feed twenty-five men regularly, medicine, building materials…money can wear thin. The ransom is a precaution, in case we ever hit an especially tight spot."

"I know that you must think money provides safety," Jinora said slowly. "But be careful. It can also be a cage." Yung opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "Can you show me the way back to my room? I want to grab a book and read up on deck. It's a beautiful day, after all, and should be enjoyed."

Yung gave her a little smile. "Of course, Miss Jinora."

"And please, just Jinora is fine."

"Do it again, Momo - lift the hilt higher and dig in - there you go!" Kai wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand, grinning as Momo slashed his knife at a stuffed dummy. He strode over and clapped a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Knew you'd get it eventually Mo." Yung handed him a beer, and Kai took a swig of it gratefully, the cool rum refreshing on his parched throat. "How'd the tour with Gyatso go?"

"Fairly well," Yung said. "She's far less snarky when you're not around. Pleasant, actually. Intelligent."

"With her father's money paying for her education, I would hope so," Kai said. "Where is she, anyhow?" Yung pointed over near the port railing, which was leaning against, her nose buried in a book with a black and yellow checkered cover. "Good, she's keeping out of trouble. Still, keep an eye on her." Yung nodded. "Mo, wanna try another move? You'll like it, it's all about quick stabbing and stuff."

Jinora glanced up from her book as Kai led Momo through another exercise - obviously the latter was still learning, but she did have to admit, Kai was quite good with a sword. She watched as he set down his beer and picked up his sword, and then ran his free hand through his sweaty hair, the hot sun beating down on the deck. (Even she had rolled up the sleeves of her dress, the collar hot and sticky on her throat.) As Kai turned back to Momo, he rolled his shoulders, his heavily scarred bare back glistening with sweat. She could see a small tattoo next to his left shoulder blade, but she was too far away to make it out, and more ran down his biceps and forearms, the muscles rippling under sinewy, sweaty dark skin as he dropped into a fighting position.

Jinora's face felt warm, but she chalked it up to the sun, and moved into the shade of the wall of the cabin that came up a little above her head, settling down to sit next to the open doorway that led below decks.

Jinora glanced up again at Kai, and then quickly looked back down as he turned in her direction. She made herself focus on her book - an old favourite of hers - but her attention strayed back up to Momo's lesson more than she would have liked (or would ever admit).

Stupid attractive pirate Captain. (Not that she was attracted to him, the arrogant brat he was. Not in the slightest.)


	2. The Truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of arguing, shopping, and truces. Oh, and pirates.

"You don't need ten new dresses, Gyatso-"

"Oh yes I do, _Captain_ , I can't wear this every day out in the sun! But why should I expect you to understand clothes, you can't even wear your shirt properly-"

Yung sighed, rubbing his left temple with his index and middle finger, trying to tune out bickering around at him. Jinora had been on the ship for four days, and so far (although Yung was sure he had missed a few) she and Kai had gotten into at least five arguments a day. Most of the time it was just a jab - they loved having a go at each other, twisting each other's words and riling the other up. They grated on each other's nerves like no one else; Yung had never seen Kai get so easily pissed off before.

At first, it had been amusing to watch someone actually not only match, but sometimes outsmart Kai's smartass comments. Now, it was just giving Yung a headache. He could do nothing but watch as both of them got to their feet.

"Believe or not, some people actually only have two or three outfits, but I suppose you wouldn't know what's that like-"

"I'm not asking for what I have back home, I'm asking for just a few more dresses so I don't have to wear the same dirty thing over and over again like you do-"

"Ten isn't a few, it's bloody expensive for one thing-"

"Well you'll be getting plenty of ransom for me, so use some of that-" They were practically nose-to-nose, and even though Kai was nearly a head taller than her, Jinora lifted her head to meet his glare, returning with one of her own, never backing down.

"Um...Kai?"

" _What_?" The Captain tore his fierce gaze away from Jinora, still fuming, but his expression softened at the sight of Appa. "Oh, sorry." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He sighed heavily, stepping away from Jinora and dropping into his chair. "What is it Appa?"

"Just wanted to let you know, Cap, that Otaku's double checked the charts and has confirmed we should arrive at Half-Moon Bay in four more days," Appa said. "He's planning our main voyage afterwards up on the deck, and he wants to get your approval before going any further."

"Of course." Kai rose from the table, shooting Jinora one last glare before heading out the door. Jinora crossed her arms over her chest as he stomped up the stairs.

"Erm, Jinora?" Yung began tentatively. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, still fuming. "You might want to ease up on Kai, he has a lot on his plate at the moment." Jinora huffed, and before she could open her mouth, Yung hastily added, "Besides, arguing with him isn't going to get you anywhere. If you want something, it wouldn't hurt to be a little nicer. Appeal to his better nature...and not bite his head off. For all of us. Your bickering is giving me a headache."

"The Captain and I don't bicker," Jinora grumbled.

Yung raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Have you heard yourself speak lately? You're always having a go at each other."

"He makes it so easy," Jinora replied. "Besides, he's just so... _infuriating_. He crawls under my skin like a nasty little parasite."

"If it's any consolation, I'm sure it's mutual," said Yung exasperatedly. "Now, enough negative talk. I managed to convince Otaku to lend you one of his books so you'd have something new to read."

Jinora's face light up, and she immediately softened, looking almost hesitant. "Oh, thank you... I am sorry, if all the shouting has gotten to you."

"Apology accepted. Should I go get the book?"

Jinora nodded. "Yes please."

* * *

After a few hours of reading up on deck, and seeing that Kai finally seemed to have a free moment (he had been especially busy that morning) Jinora slowly approached him. "Captain, can I have a word?"

He seemed surprised by her non-hostile tone, and nodded, eyeing her warily. "What's up Gyatso?" he asked, taking a swig from his bottle of beer.

"Well, I know things kind of got out of hand this morning, but I wanted to talk about getting some more dresses." She frowned when she caught him rolling his eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I don't know what your deal is about this-"

"But I know what yours is," Kai replied. "You think I haven't met girls like you before? Rich, always had more than enough and not a care in the world, and the biggest concern you have is what you wear. And then, when you make a mistake, well you always have your precious daddy's money to fall back on." Her face crumpled. What he said was true; partially, of course, and worst of all, he sounded so _smug_ about it, about how he had seemingly figured her out. "I have a feeling I'm hitting a little too close to home."

Jinora was ashamed at the tears pricking in her eyes. _No._ She refused to cry in front of _him,_ of all people. "You don't understand anything about me."

Kai arched an eyebrow. "Oh really? Tell me, how much did I get right?"

"None of it! But I know who you are: you're just a selfish asshole!" Jinora snapped, poking him in the chest.

Whatever slight amusement that had been on Kai's face vanished, and he grit his teeth. "I never would have expected such vulgar language from a woman of the upper class-"

"You don't know anything about me, you son of a-"

"Well I know that you're a huge pain in the-"

Jinora threw her hands up in the air. "That's it, I am _done_!" She turned on her heel and shoved past him, slamming the door as she went below decks and stormed off to her meager excuse for a room.

Kai sighed as he watched her walk away, until he felt Yung's eyes on him, and turned to see the man giving him a disapproving look. "What?"

"She was _trying_ , Kai," Yung said simply.

"It was kind of petty of you," Otaku piped up. Skoochy murmured something in agreement. "Besides, Jinora's not that bad. She likes books, anyway, and she's pretty nice to rest of us. And really, a few dresses isn't that big of a deal."

"Look," Yung said, lowering his voice. "I know better than anyone else that you have a good reason for disliking the rich but..." _I know you think that money provides safety. But be careful. It can also be a cage._ "Jinora is our hostage. She's not exactly in the lap of luxury anymore. Try and see things from her point of view. We did take her away from her home and her family."

Kai frowned deeply. "I suppose that's true. Alright, I'll give her some time to cool off, and then I'll go get her and bring her back up, alright?" Yung nodded, smiling slightly.

Kai waited an hour before going below decks and paused outside the door of the cabin boy's quarters: his old room, now hers. Maybe he had been a bit unfair to her. And it did seem like she had only two dresses, and that would get uncomfortable very quickly, as they couldn't do laundry very often. Kai took a deep breath, and then knocked. "Gyatso?"

He was surprised when the door flew open, and stumbled backwards slightly. Once he regained his bearings, he saw Jinora glaring at him. Her eyes were rimmed with red: had she been crying, he wondered. The thought made his stomach squirm with guilt. He hadn't meant to make her cry. Get her to stop talking about her silly dresses, maybe, but not actually upset her. But his temper had been running high all day, he supposed, from their arguing, and he had reached his breaking point.

"What do you want?" she said, the edge in her voice jabbing him in in the side.

"I, er..." It was the first time he had been at a loss of words, and he hoped she wouldn't rub it in his face. "Look," he said finally. "I'm sorry, okay? I was out of line." Jinora simply regarded him coldly. "So yeah, I'm sorry."

"You said that already," she pointed out.

Kai managed a small laugh. "Yeah, I'm not great with this apologizing stuff, especially with giving me a look that could kill." Jinora's glare softened, and it gave him confidence. "So anyway, the way I see it is we're stuck like this for the next few months right? It can't hurt to try to be a little nicer to each other, and not always be at each other's throats."

Jinora eyed him warily, but he could see her considering it. "Snarky comments still allowed?"

Kai half-smiled. "Wouldn't expect anything less of you, Gyatso."

She stuck out her hand, and Kai went to shake it when she pulled back slightly. "I get at least five new dresses."

"As long as they're pretty cheap, knock yourself out," Kai replied.

Jinora shook his hand, her grip surprisingly firm. "Then you got yourself a deal, Captain."

"I promised the crew I'd bring you back up on deck," Kai said. "They're worried about you."

"I'm not going back up."

"I'm not breaking my promise," Kai said firmly. "C'mon Gyatso, don't be a stick in the mud. Come on out, or I'll come get you."

The words, "I'd like to see you try," had barely left her mouth before Kai picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder like a potato sack. "What are you doing?" she hissed, her hands grabbing at his shirt. She hated being picked up, or any form of being off the ground in general. A phobia of heights of any kind had been carried with her for years, ever since falling out of a tree in her family's orchard as a girl.

"Taking you back up to the deck," Kai said, tightening his grip slightly as he turned around and began to walk up the stairs. "I did warn you, Gyatso." Once it became apparent Kai wasn't going to drop her - he certainly was strong, even if she knew she wasn't very heavy - she relaxed, but it was still a relief when he set her down on the wooden deck of the ship.

The rest of the crew stared as Jinora regained her balance, and then promptly punched their Captain in the face. "That's for touching me without my consent."

Kai rubbed his jaw and prodded his nose for a moment, and amazingly, cracked a smile. "Not a bad punch, Gyatso."

Jinora shook out her hand, her knuckles stinging slightly after making contact with his face, not that she was going to admit it. She stared back at him, and smiled a little when it seemed he wasn't going to grow angry with her, and she realized it was the first time they had ever truly smiled at each other. "Thanks, Captain."

Kai looked around at the crew, who were still staring. "Don't you have work to do?" he said loudly, a trace of the smile remaining on his face. He turned back to Jinora. "See ya around, Gyatso." He went over to the steering wheel, stealing a cigarette from Skoochy and giving it a blow, the smoke trailing over his lips.

Jinora gave him one last look before cracking open the book Otaku had lent her. Perhaps Kai wasn't quite as awful as she had thought - not that she would ever,  _ever_ admit it, much less outloud. 

* * *

"Remind me again why I'm the one who has to take Gyatso dress shopping?"

"Because you're the only one this time around who doesn't have other business to deal with at the market, and you'd rather go than stay behind and look after the ship," Yung pointed out. "Now go. Otaku and I will handle getting the extra fruit, and Momo's staying back with the ship."

"Fine." Jinora was waiting for him, which slightly surprised him as it was very early in the morning (she must have been an early riser) and they walked down the ramp from the ship to the docks of Half-Moon Bay together. Jinora was wearing her second dress, a pale yellow one with a tight hold on her waist, showing off the flare of her hips, her purse clamped tightly in her hands. "Let's get this over with."

"Don't sound too excited Captain," Jinora said dryly, her lips twisted up in a slight smile. "I've never been to a pirate's marketplace before."

"There's a lot of," he wondered how to phrase it, exactly, " _interesting_ characters around here. So stay close to me, okay? Don't go anywhere alone. The ransom notice promised I'd bring you home, safe and sound, Gyatso, after all. Don't make my job harder."

"For once, I promise I won't," Jinora replied.

The marketplace was swarming with people, all of a lower class, so Jinora's fancy dress stuck out like a sore thumb. Food of all kinds was being sold at stalls, as well as jewelry and protective amulets, weapons and beer. A couple of men stared at her, because of her body, or because of the money they were sure she had, she wasn't sure, but she stepped closer to Kai anyway, and noticed he had one hand clasped firmly on his sword hilt, like a warning, and immediately felt safer. It was apparent that Kai's reputation proceeded him, and Jinora wondered how skilled a fighter he truly was, as Momo was hardly a challenge.

They found a dress shop easily, and it even had a small changing room to try and see if the dress fit you. Jinora pulled a few into the dress room with her, and Kai tried to ignore the young shop owner's attempts to flirt with him. He wasn't in the mood, and she was a little too old for him, anyway, closer to thirty than twenty. After nearly twenty-five minutes had passed, Kai sighed heavily, leaning against the door of the dressing room.

"Can't you hurry up in there Gyatso?"

"I need to see what works, Captain, now shut up, I'm almost finished." He heard rustling and felt her push on the door and got off it, letting her step out of the dressing room. She had at least three dresses draped over her arm, as well as a couple of girdles, shirts and pants. _Pants_? Jinora caught him staring and rolled her eyes. "I'm getting these clothes for practicality, so yes, pants. They seem very comfortable anyway, and it'll be a relief to not have to wear corsets for once, they're such a pain."

Kai resisted the urge of saying, "They're not the only thing," remembering he and Jinora's tentative truce, and instead kept quiet as Jinora rang the clothes up with the sour-looking shop-girl. He was surprised when Jinora pulled a wad of bills from her purse, and handed them over to the girl, before turning back to him and catching the look on his face.

"What? You don't think I went out empty handed, did you? Besides, some of the items were a bit more expensive, and you do have almost thirty men to feed." Jinora smiled slightly. "I may be spoiled, but I'm not a brat, whatever you may say."

"Looks like I have to admit I was wrong about that then," Kai said, shrugging as they left the store, Jinora clutching the packages of her new clothes to her chest. "That reminds me, Yung and Otaku are picking up extra fruit right now, to prevent scurvy and 'cause you're a vege-something-"

"Vegetarian," Jinora corrected him.

"Yeah that, and it'll be fine for now, but once we're out at sea for a good few weeks we'll start to run out, and you might have to eat some meat or fish or something 'cause that lasts longer," Kai continued. The fruit section of the market was particularly crowded, and Jinora had to stand so close to Kai their shoulders and arms brushed. Once it cleared, they had barely taken a step forward before a man stepped out of the shadows.

"Heard you kidnapped Governor Gyatso's daughter." The man had unnaturally red lips, reminding Jinora of the colour of blood, twisted up into a smile, but all it did was set her on edge. There was a cobweb stuck to the sleep of his dark jacket. "If you want her out of your hair, I can offer you a nice sum for her. Surely better than what the Governor's offering, men would pay quite a lot for a pretty little thing like her." Kai felt Jinora take a step closer to him, and he narrowed his eyes.

"You know I don't do those types of business deals, Koh," Kai said darkly. "Now, if you don't want your slave ship to be the next one we liberate, I suggest you go and get a head start. _Now._ "

Koh simply smiled. "Of course."

Kai glared at him while they pushed past him, and ran a hand through his hair. "I hate men like him," Kai muttered. "They're disgusting, rotten bastards."

"Yung said you went after slave ships," Jinora said, slightly alarmed by the cloudy look in his eyes. She had seen Kai angry, but this seemed to be a different type. She tried not to think of how Koh looked at her, like she was a piece of meat and nothing more than a nice little commission, with a price tag around her neck like a noose.

"I'm sorry he said that to you," Kai said, his expression softening. "Wish I punched him, actually, but he's probably slithered away to some slimy hole by now."

"It's...thank you." For a split second, Jinora had wondered if Kai would agree to the deal, and terror had closed over her throat. Out of all the pirates that could have captured her, she was certainly lucky to be with some that didn't want to harm her.

Kai gave her a slightly surprised look, and she realized she had never thanked him for anything before. "No problem. Besides, in the ransom note I told your dad he'd get you back safe and sound, and I always keep my word."

"Everyone has been giving us a wide berth," Jinora remarked. "It seems your reputation with a sword truly does proceed you." They both fell silent, walking along the street among the noise and people, before Jinora asked, "When do we head back to the ship?"

"Now, if you'd like," Kai offered.

"Yeah, I would, I can go change properly."

When they arrived back on _The Waterbender,_ Yung, Otaku, Momo and few other crew members were waiting for them. "How'd the dress shopping go Captain?" Momo snickered, as Jinora headed below decks to change.

Kai shot him a look and Momo fell silent. "It was boring. We ran into Koh, though, that slave-master. Otaku, make sure we find out about his whereabouts, would you? I wouldn't mind tracking down a couple of his ships in the new few weeks."

"Of course Captain," Otaku said. "Oh, and we also picked up a chair for Jinora, it's in the dining hall already."

"That's good," Kai said, and he turned around when he heard the door creak open, and Jinora stepped out. But she looked extremely different, now wearing her new clothes: a loose white blouse that left her shoulders bare, with a light leather corset. Her hair wasn't tied up anymore, and her curls spilled over her shoulders, past halfway down her back. A brown skirt went her just above her knees, and she wore black leggings underneath with black boots. Although it wasn't as restricting as her old dresses, if Kai had had any misgivings about the curves of her chest or hips, they had been obliterated.

"Much more practical, don't you think?" Jinora said with a grin, placing her hands on her hips and glancing down at her attire. "Captain, hand me your sword would you?"

It took Kai a moment to respond, his face feeling hot, but the sun was high in the sky now, warming things up so he supposed that made sense. He unsheathed his sword and made sure she had a good grip on the hilt before letting go. Jinora raised it in one hand with surprising ease, and pulled her hair back in the other. There was a _shnng_ noise as she cut her hair, almost half of it hitting the deck before the wind started to blow it away.

Jinora's hair was much shorter, choppy and uneven, but somehow suiting her as it fell to her shoulders and curled a little around her cheeks and chin. "Much better," she said decidedly, handing Kai back his sword. She felt his eyes on her, even as he sheathed it, and gave him a slightly curious look. "Something wrong, Captain?"

Kai shook his head, cracking a smile. "Not at all Gyatso," he said smoothly.

Jinora's lips twitched upwards. "Of course." She tugged on the ends of her hair, before dropping her hand. "Oh, Otaku, I'm almost done the book you lent me, and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it."

Otaku grinned eagerly. "Really?"

"Really. I'd love to discuss a theory I have about how it's going to end - don't tell me of course, but -"

Kai couldn't help but smile as she and Otaku walked away, talking animatedly to each other. He crossed his arms over his chest, watching Jinora walk away; the swing of her hips was a lot more obvious now.

"I think you like her," Yung muttered with a slight smile, and Kai gawked at him.

"Come on," Kai said, rolling his eyes. "Be serious."

"I am."

"Then you seriously must have hit your head on something, if you think I could ever like Gyatso." Kai lightly shoved Yung's shoulder. "Now, don't you have food to put away? Momo, you can help him with that too."

"Just give it some time, Kai, you'll see," Yung called, as he and Momo headed below decks as well.

Kai rolled his eyes again. Him, like Gyatso? As if.


	3. Fighting and Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flirting. With swords.

"Again Momo, c'mon, it's not that hard."

"I'm _trying_ Kai!"

Jinora closed her book sharp snap, trying to mask her annoyance as her voice broke through the noise. "Could you two practice your sword-fighting a little more quietly? Some of us are trying to read."

" _Some,_ Gyatso, or just you?" Kai said with a grin. Jinora narrowed her eyes. "Fine, fine, we'll _try_ and be quieter, but that doesn't mean it'll work. Sword-fighting is supposed to be loud."

"I know. I've been around sword-fighting before."

Kai looked surprised. "You have?"

"I've been enrolled in fencing since I was a child," she explained, slightly surprised herself as Kai went to stand in front of her. "It's not the same of course, but I know my way with a weapon fairly well, I think. I actually wanted to speak with you about that." She looked at him, meeting his curious green eyes. "If we attack a ship, or get attacked, I need to know how to hold my own. So can you teach me how to fight? You said so yourself that I don't have a bad right hook."

Kai studied her for a moment, and Jinora felt oddly vulnerable under his gaze, as if he was evaluating her and she had to pass some kind of test. "I thought all fair maidens just wanted their prince to save 'em," he teased, the thoughtfulness in his eyes fading.

Jinora wrinkled her nose at him. "You're hardly prince charming."

He grinned again and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. With his other hand, he reached down and grabbed hers, hauling her abruptly to her feet. "Alright Gyatso, let's see what you know, and then I'll think about it. Momo, you're dismissed. For now anyway." Momo scampered off, looking relieved. He headed below decks, probably to go get a drink and rest a bit. Kai was a tough teacher, and Jinora started to wonder what exactly she had gotten herself into. But there was no backing out now, as Kai handed her his sword. "So Gyatso, show me what you got."

Jinora had been fencing for years, but she suddenly felt slightly nervous as she dropped into the basic fighting stance, making sure to hold the sword high enough. It was heavier than the weapon she used in fencing, and she was free of the usual protective clothes as well. She wished Kai would say something, but for someone who was usually extremely expressive, his face remained blank as she went through the motions of a thrust, lunge, and parry, before ending with a feint and a few more moves.

She felt a little rusty, as she hadn't been fencing since her father had decided it was time for her to seriously look into being pursued by her suitors. But she remembered quite a lot, and when she was finished, she felt even more grateful for her loose clothes, her short hair feeling hot on the nape of her neck. One of her regular dresses would have been sweltering.

"So, how'd I do?" Jinora asked, lowering the sword and handing it back to Kai. He stared at her for a moment longer, before he finally spoke.

"Not bad," he admitted slowly. "For a high-society girl," he added quickly.

Jinora's lips twitched upwards. "You've fought more of them?"

"Nah, you're the only one."

"Well now I feel special," Jinora said, rolling her eyes. "So, are you going to teach me or not?

"Yeah, I'll teach you," Kai said, sheathing his sword and keeping a hand on the hilt. "But you can't talk back," he bargained. "And you actually have to listen."

Kai looked at her as if he doubted she could do it, and Jinora knew to some degree he was right, so she simply said, "I will make no such promises," while placing her hands on her hips and raising her chin, her eyes meeting his.

He grinned at her – an actual smile, not because he was teasing her, or trying to set her on edge. "Fine."

"You know, I have to admit, you're quite good with your sword," she said begrudgingly, as he went to grab his shirt from the hook on the door that led to the deck's weapon room, and slipped it on.

"Not the only sword I'm good with," he replied, waggling his eyebrows at her, popping up the collar of his shirt. "I could show you my other one, later." Jinora flushed when she caught onto what sword he was referring to, and she stared at him, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't be serious.

"I'm not interested," she said flatly, and he laughed.

"I'm just teasing, Gyatso. You should be flattered though, there are plenty girls who'd love to get with me."

"Well count me out," Jinora said, rolling her eyes again. "You're a real ass, you know."

Kai smiled. "And you're a spoiled bra-" He caught her look and stopped himself. "Oh yeah, can't say that anymore." Jinora smiled a little. "Don't worry Gyatso, I'll think of a new insult for you."

Jinora snorted. "You, thinking? Don't hurt yourself there Captain." Kai wrinkled his nose at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "So, same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You better not be late Gyatso."

"I'm sure I can fit it into my busy schedule, Captain," Jinora said dryly, and Kai laughed.

* * *

It had taken them an hour for Jinora to find a sword that suited her; not too long, just the right weight, although she still had to adjust to the differences between it and the one she had used for years back home. "Now," Kai started. "What you know so far actually isn't that bad. The biggest difference is you've never had to, quite literally, fight for your life. You're used to having avoid going after certain areas or rules. Forget all of that. Play dirty, aim below the belt if you have to."

"So what you're saying is to fight like a pirate?" Jinora said.

"Exactly. So just do what I do as best as you can, okay, and I'll fix it if I need to."

Kai dropped into a fighting stance, and made a slashing movement with his sword, fast at first, before he slowed down and went through the steps: where she had to place her foot, the angle of holding the sword and what direction to jerk your wrist in before changing, and how to keep the sword under control and not let its weight unbalance you.

Jinora watched him go through the form a few more times before attempting it herself, and wordlessly did it a couple more times before Kai stopped her. "Almost there. Lower it a little more, and slant your body a tad bit more to the left, no, no too much, now that's too little." Jinora stopped trying to follow his instructions, shooting him an annoyed look instead. "How do I say this?"

Jinora chewed her bottom lip and sighed. "Just show me."

She was surprised when Kai walked over, and she could feel his warm breath on the side of her neck as he placed his hands on her hips, his bare chest pressing into her bare shoulders. He adjusted her stance, his hands lightly squeezing her hips, his thigh knocking into the back of her knee as he placed her on more of a slant, before his arms enveloped hers, and he placed his hands over hers, lowering the hilt ever so slightly it was hard to see the difference. She could feel him breathing, the gentle rise and fall of his chest against her back, his muscles pressed firmly against her...well, everything really.

He was so solid and warm. Jinora's breathing quickened slightly, and she struggled to stay focused on the weapon in her hands. No man had ever been this close to her before, much less one who was half-naked. She felt a rush of warmth at the thought, her cheeks burning.

"Now go through the steps again," Kai said quietly, his breath tickling her ear, and Jinora cleared managed to her mind, which had gone surprisingly fuzzy. She went through the motions of the form, her body tucked into Kai's, and flowing perfectly with his movements, successfully completing the move just like how he had done. "There," he said, stepping away and releasing his hold on her. "You got it." She felt suddenly cold slightly, despite the glaring sun. Her throat had gone dry. "Try it yourself, now."

Jinora practiced the form a bit more on her own before they moved onto a few others. By the time Kai stepped away for a break, Jinora's clothes felt fairly sticky with sweat, and the cool beer Kai drank filled her with envy. The small fresh-water supply they had didn't leave much for her, unfortunately, and it certainly wasn't cold. She and Kai took a seat in the shade when he noticed her staring. "Want some?" he offered, holding out the bottle.

"I've never had beer before," she shrugged, but took the bottle all the same, even if she was rather hesitant.

"You'll have to drink some sooner rather than later," Kai pointed out, and she took a tentative sip before wrinkling her noise and handing it back. It hadn't done much to quench her thirst, either, unfortunately. "Ah, you'll acquire the taste for it before you know it, Gyatso."

"I doubt it," Jinora replied. "One of my suitors drinks so much he's practically an alcoholic. And a total pig."

"Oh… you got a lot of those?" Kai tried to sound nonchalant. But for some reason the idea of lots of men vying for Jinora's attention made his skin crawl.

"Yes, although the reason's beyond me. I suppose, with my looks, my father's fortune, the man I marry being a shoo-in for his position, it's an attractive idea, but…"

"What are the suitors like? All snooty rich guys?" Kai guessed.

"Pretty much. A few of them are twice my age, which is a problem on a whole other level. But the one I was visiting, though, he's the absolute worst. It's the way he looks at me, it's…he's just seeing me as a possession. As a thing he can mould into whatever he wants. But none of them get it. I'm not just some porcelain doll, an obedient little wife who's just for decoration." She realized she was ranting, but found a weight had been lifted. She had never told anyone of her frustrations before. Her friends and family had always been so content with high-society life. "I want so much more out of my life. I want to _do_ things. See the world."

"Never realized a high society girl could have so much spirit," Kai said, and it irritated her so much Jinora stole his beer and took a sip, just to try and spite him.

"All of us do. Some just have theirs broken." Jinora tugged on her hair, still not used to its short length. "You know, just because I'm rich doesn't mean I'm not a person."

It took him by surprise. He knew he probably wasn't very nice to her, but she wasn't either. "I know."

"Then start treating me like it, Captain." She stood up to leave, when his hand shot out and he wrapped his fingers around her thin wrist. She was alarmed at how warm his fingers were, pressed against her skin, and was grateful when he let go.

"Gyatso. It's natural for the poor to envy the rich, I guess, but even if I'm poor, I get to do whatever I want. If I've offended you, I – I'm sorry."

Jinora nodded, and sat back down, tugging her wrist out of his grip. "I accept your apology."

"Why do you have marry some rich guy anyway? It doesn't seem very fair. You should be allowed to marry whoever you want." Jinora's expression softened with every word.

"I have three younger siblings, and my mother. My father is getting up there in age, and when he passes he'll divide his fortune among us. My mother will be fine, with her own family's money. My brothers can work and earn more. But my sister and I have no choice but to marry into money," she explained. "As you can imagine, it's not a great prospect."

"But your dad won't make you marry anyone you don't want to," Kai said slowly. "Right?"

"He'll have me marry whoever he thinks is best, who in his eyes can take care of and provide for me," Jinora said bitterly. "My opinion isn't a priority; a woman's never is, in the upper class."

"Well...your opinion matters to me," Kai said finally, catching her by surprise. "So tell me, how's my teaching style?"

"Not bad," she said, smiling a little. "Who else have you taught?"

"Skoochy, a couple years ago when he joined the crew. And I've been trying to teach Momo for over a year, emphasis on _try_." Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair before he grinned at her. "I have to say though, even with your fencing background, you're picking up things pretty darn fast, Gyatso. But don't let it go to your head."

"I think I should be saying that to you, Captain."

Kai stole his beer back from her after she took a sip, and had a long drink of it. "Alright, break time's over. Let's get back to work."

Jinora pushed herself onto her feet, picking up her sword. "Aye aye Captain."

"I think that's the first time you've ever agreed with me," Kai said, as they walked back out into the sun.

"And the last," Jinora quipped, holding out her sword as they went through the motions again, Jinora watching Kai's muscled arms carefully to make sure she got the movements right. Up close, she could make out his tattoos more clearly: there was one of a ship on the water, some kind of bird, and one of some sort of fancy compass. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, anyway, the black and white ink standing out against his dark, sweaty skin.

Kai had to adjust her technique a few times, straightening her arms or the position of her legs, lightly nudging her hips with his hands until they were in the right position. She tried to ignore the jolt that went through her every time he touched her. How it seemed that she almost, dare she say it, _liked_ the feel of his firm, warm hands pressing into her hips. Which was absolutely ridiculous, of course.

After another hour and a half at least, Kai called it quits for the day. "In a few days, it couldn't hurt to work on your hand-to-hand combat either."

"If that means I get to punch you in the face again, I'm all for it," Jinora said. Kai shoved her lightly, smiling a little.

"Shut up Gyatso."

Jinora smirked at him. "Make me, Captain."

Kai opened his mouth to reply, when Yung ambled out onto the deck. "Oh good, you're both here, dinner's almost ready." Kai pulled on his shirt and did up the bottom four buttons. "Jinora, there's lots of veggies in this stew, you'll like it."

"I'll have to send my compliments to the chef then," Jinora said smiling. She and Yung went through the door together when Yung stopped short.

"You coming Kai?" he asked, glancing back.

"Of course," the Captain replied. "Just thinking is all."

"You know that's dangerous for you," Jinora called, and Kai rolled his eyes. _You like her,_ Yung mouthed, and Kai just glared at him.

"So how is Jinora's sword fighting coming along?" Yung asked instead, and Kai's expression softened.

"Surprisingly well, actually," Kai said. "She's better at it than I thought she'd be. She's better than Momo, at least."

"It'd be hard to be worse than Momo," Yung replied, and they both laughed.

At the very least, it seemed like his training sessions with Jinora wouldn't be something to dread, and Kai was grateful for it.


	4. The Old Captain

Jinora and Yung had been strolling around the dock of _The Waterbender_ that morning, walking the length of the boat. Jinora counted the rowboats as they passed them, her brow furrowing when she paused at an empty rigging. There should have been a rowboat there, making ten in total, but instead there was only nine. "Yung, there's a rowboat missing, isn't there?" Jinora said, turning to face him in time to see him stiffen.

"Um, yeah there is," Yung confirmed.

"Why?"

"Well, uh…" Yung lowered his voice. "It's because of Zaheer, our old Captain. But Kai doesn't like it being talked about."

"Well now I have to know," Jinora replied. Yung sighed, leaning against the railing and gesturing for Jinora to do the same, which she did.

"You cannot bring it up okay? I know you two don't really get along, even if it has been better lately." Jinora nodded, now more curious than ever. "See, around 5 years back – God, Kai was 16, it seems crazy to think about – Otaku messed up on some coordinates and we missed this big score. Things were bloodier under Zaheer, I think he just liked killing near the end of it, and he was so mad he was going to kill Otaku, but..." Jinora's eyes widened, frowning. Obviously Zaheer hadn't succeeded, as Otaku was pouring over maps only fifteen feet away, but it was still horrible to think about. And she knew that Kai would never consider killing a crew member.

"But what?" Jinora pressed.

"But Kai stepped in," Yung finished.

Jinora inhaled sharply. She glanced away and found Kai up by the steering wheel, talking to Appa. She could say a lot of things about him – arrogant and annoying came to mind almost immediately – but she couldn't say he didn't care about his crew. "And then what happened?" Jinora asked, surprising herself with how invested she had gotten in the story. She and Kai had been getting along a bit better, thanks to her continued sword-fighting lessons, but it wasn't like she cared about him or anything.

"Things had always been tense between Kai and Zaheer once he started getting older – he was practically raised on this ship from the time he was nine, y'know – Kai didn't like the way he went after poor merchant ships, or killed when he didn't need to. So Kai challenged him to a duel, one of the best sword fights I've seen in my life. Kai won, just barely... It - it was bad," Yung admitted. "How he got the large scar on his back."

Jinora could picture the scar, marred flesh in a thin, white line, crawling up Kai's back, spreading over his shoulder-blades. She winced. It must have been painful.

"Kai spared Zaheer's life," Yung continued. "Always a ruler breaker, that boy is – cause Zaheer helped him out when he was kid. But he made Zaheer leave and Zaheer took the lifeboat. Rumour has it Zaheer's the Captain of a new ship now, called the Red Lotus, but they roam the South Waters. Bet he'd love to get revenge, though."

"That was awfully brave of him," Jinora said slowly, and Yung smiled a little, even as another thought nagged at her. "But…why did he join the crew so young? He was just a child."

Yung's smile faded. "His folks died when he was a baby, I think. He won't even tell me the whole story, and I'm pretty sure I know him better than anyone. I know that for a while, he scraped by on the streets on his own – how he got so handy with a knife, although I hate to think what forced that – until I found him, and I convinced Zaheer to let him on."

Jinora couldn't help but feel sad. Kai certainly hadn't had an easy life. No wonder he thought she was spoiled, and she supposed she was. She had always had more than enough to eat and a roof over her head. No dangerous sword fights, or scars, or struggling just to survive. "No wonder he calls me spoiled," she said quietly.

"Even I can be considered spoiled, compared to him," Yung said. "Not a word to him, now Jinora," he warned, their eyes locking. "Kai's never wanted anyone's pity, least of all yours."

"Of course," Jinora said.

She found it hard to keep her promise though, as Kai coached her through how to throw a punch. They had started working on hand-to-hand combat for the first time that afternoon, and the scar was stretched tightly over his back rippled as he rolled his shoulders. Whatever weapon that had caused it had obviously been dragged down, or up, his back. Not too deep probably, although she didn't know much about how wounds healed. It could have been very deep. Dangerously deep. How close had Kai come, to losing his life?

And not just that time, but on the streets too. _How he got so handy with a knife._ Had he been attacked often, on the streets?

"Gyatso, are you even paying attention? Your form's pathetic," Kai said, shooting her a look and shaking his head, looking almost disappointed. "I'm not going to teach you if you're going to waste my time."

"I -" Her excuse got caught in her throat, and Jinora ducked her head. "Sorry," she said finally. "I just...got distracted, thinking."

"You know that's dangerous for you," Kai replied, echoing her words of the previous day, but she could tell he meant it. "A pirate isn't going to think twice about using that weakness. You gotta learn how to tune everything else out and just focus on the fight. So go on, practice your punches again." Jinora threw a couple of punches, clenching her fists tightly, and gritting her teeth. Kai nodded slightly in approval. "Much better. Not good enough, but better. Again."

Jinora went through the exercise a few more times, before she asked, "Who taught you how to fight, anyway?" She paused, glancing at Kai out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his reaction. He simply strode over and lifted her arms a little higher, his expression blank.

"How to fist fight?" Kai said. "Myself. Taught myself how to use a knife too. Sword fighting though, I learned some stuff from Yung and...the old Captain, before me." Jinora pursed her lips, and Kai shot her a look. "Alright," Kai said sternly, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "What did Yung tell you, Gyatso?"

"He told me about Zaheer. And that you were on the streets," she confessed, dropping her arms to her sides. There was no point in lying.

Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair. "God knows he can't keep a secret. If he wasn't there for it I never would have told him."

"Why not? It's not a bad thing," Jinora said, trying to meet his eyes. "You risked your life to save Otaku's. In fact I think it was rather…heroic." She hadn't quite meant to say it, but no other word seemed to fit. She just hoped it wouldn't inflate his ego, and that he wouldn't point out how it was the first time she had ever really complimented him (face-to-face, anyway) either.

Kai's lips twitched upwards, although he still seemed surprised at the compliment. "You calling me a hero, Gyatso?"

"No, Captain," she said simply, regaining her composure. "I'm simply saying you did a heroic deed. There's a difference." Jinora tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Kai snorted. "Good, 'cause I'm no hero."

"What makes you say that?"

Kai shook his head at her. "Not so fast Gyatso, can't have you learning all my secrets." He uncrossed his arms and stood in front of her. "Now come on, try and hit me." Jinora's fist landed lightly against his jaw, and Kai shook his head again. "Harder, Gyatso, like you mean it. Pretend I'm one of your suitors, if that helps." Heat rose to her cheeks, despite herself. The very idea that Kai would ever be a suitor to her was completely ridiculous. She cleared her throat and punched him harder, and Kai took a step back. "Better. I'll see if I can get one of Otaku's hardcover books for you to practice on, I don't think my face can take too much of it. You won't mind punching a book, right?"

"Of course not." Kai turned to leave, surely to get her the book and then leave her to her own devices for the afternoon, when she said, "Captain." Kai stopped, looking at her curiously. "You saved another man's life, and you don't think you're a hero, even slightly...why?"

Kai ran a hand through his hair again, his brow furrowing. "I did what anyone else would have done."

"But nobody else challenged Zaheer," Jinora pointed out. "You were the only one."

"Somebody else would have," Kai insisted.

Jinora stared at him. "Why can't you just accept that you did a good thing, a heroic thing? For Christ's sake, you even liberate slave ships, and that sure as hell didn't happen until you became Captain." Kai rolled his eyes, and part of Jinora wanted to smack him again. "I called you selfish once, but the fact is you're _not."_

"I thought you weren't calling me a hero, Gyatso," Kai said, leaning down slightly so they were practically nose to nose, his eyes boring into hers. "Why're you changing your mind?"

"Because you need to change yours," Jinora snapped, not turning away. "And accept that maybe, you're a better person than you want to admit you are, and it's obvious because you always act so arrogant, and confident, but the fact is you are a pretty good person, even if you are a pirate. I don't know what happened when you were a kid but-"

"Exactly, you _don't_ know what happened. You don't know what I did. What I've done." Kai stepped away from her. "My...my mother died, because of me. Because I was born." He kept his back to her, as Jinora stared at him, surprised. It seemed like he was actually...vulnerable. Not arrogant, or annoying, or ordering her around. Acting like she was another member of the crew, maybe. Or something close to it anyway.

"Women die in childbirth every year," Jinora said softly. "It's not your fault."

"I wish that was what happened," Kai said darkly. "I - I'm not having this conversation. Not with anyone, and certainly not with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jinora said, trying not to sound hostile. Kai still kept his back to her, and she wondered if he was holding back tears. What she would do if he was. She tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know I can't understand," her voice grew softer with every word. "Especially if you won't tell me. And you don't have to. I do understand that some things are too...difficult to be shared. But just because I'm rich, doesn't mean I don't know what misery's like."

Kai raised his head slightly, and she withdrew her hand as he turned to face her. "Thank you, Gyatso. Your training's done, for the day." Jinora jerked her head forwards in a stiff nod, stepping away.

With her now free afternoon, she went below decks and sought out Yung. It took a while for her to find him, finally discovering him in the crew's main dorm room, knocking quietly on the door before entering. Yung, luckily, was alone, everyone else spread throughout the ship, most of them already chowing down on a mid-afternoon snack.

"You said something to Kai."

It wasn't a question. Jinora nodded again. "Yes. I - I didn't know it would lead to that, though. You've seen him?"

This time Yung nodded. "Staring off into the horizon, frowning. You dragged up some bad memories, I'm afraid. He's always had a hard time keeping his demons on a leash."

"He said he was the reason his mother died," Jinora said quietly, and Yung raised his eyebrows. She sat down next to him on his bed. "Not in childbirth. But I don't understand, how else would she have died?" Yung frowned deeply.

"I'm surprised he told you that much. Believe it or not, that is him opening up, even if it doesn't seem like it."

Jinora frowned, clasping her hands together and resting them on her lap. "You know what happened, don't you?"

"I have my suspicions," Yung corrected her. "I don't know for sure, but I know a little... He got a nightmare, once, when he was younger. I'm sure he has more, but that was the only time I caught it. It's not my story to tell, however."

"No of course not," Jinora agreed quickly. "I'm just glad he has someone to tell."

The corners of Yung's mouth curved upwards. "Am I sensing actual concern for our dear Captain?"

" _Your_ dear Captain," Jinora corrected him. "And me, concerned? As if." She shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze, as she knew he didn't believe her. But her, concerned about Kai? She wouldn't have thought it possible. But she also never would have imagined ever thinking something Kai had done was heroic, let alone argue that maybe he was a good person. Wasn't that the reason she had sought Yung out? Because maybe, deep down, she was a little worried she had hurt Kai?

Yung's smile grew. "Whatever you say. But Jinora, in all seriousness, don't press the issue, alright? I've known Kai for over half his life, and I still don't know everything. You've known him for nearly two weeks. Although, I have to say, I think you two have more in common than you realize." He took a book from a nearby table. "Here's the book, so you can practice."

It was a thick, hard covered volume, an Atlas with pages slightly yellow from age, still firm against her hands with surprising weight. Jinora lightly drummed her fingers over the cover for a moment. "Thank you, Yung," she said finally. She stood up, clutching the book to her chest.

The least she could do now, after everything, was practice.

* * *

"Kai?"

The Captain looked up to see Yung approaching him, the older man placing a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't often he had visitors in the Captain's quarters, but he a feeling from Yung's expression that this was a private conversation. Kai looked up at him as Yung sat down beside him on the bed. "Coming to talk to me about Gyatso, aren't you?"

"I think you need to talk about it," Yung said firmly. "Before you put your walls back up. I've seen you at your worst, Kai, there's no point hiding from me."

Kai sighed. "If you think that you've seen me at my absolute worst, than you're a lot more ignorant of what happens on the streets than I thought."

Yung scratched his head. "Yeah, I could have phrased that better. But you know what I meant, Kai." When Kai didn't say anything, Yung added, "I'm surprised you opened up to Jinora."

"I didn't open up to Gyatso," he said flatly. "It just...slipped out. She wouldn't leave me alone. Kept saying that what I did, standing up against Zaheer and all, was heroic, or whatever. That I was a good person. Even I'm a pirate."

"Oh my, what a horrible thing to hear," Yung said sarcastically. Kai narrowed his eyes at him, and Yung threw up his hands. "I don't know why you were so against what she was saying, anyway. Jinora came to see me after, and you know what that means? She cares." Kai snorted. "She does, Kai, whatever you may think, and I know she's sorry if she hurt you, or dragged up some bad memories. And I know that you care about her."

At that, Kai laughed, even if it did sound forced. "Yeah right."

"If you didn't care, her words wouldn't have struck such a strong chord," Yung pointed out. "You've been getting along better lately, haven't you?"

"If by better you mean we're not biting each other's heads off all the time, then yeah. What's she doing now, anyway?"

"Practicing her punches, and don't change the subject," Yung said sharply. "My point is-"

"The point is Gyatso doesn't understand me well enough to make a judgement on my character," Kai said, a low growl underlying his words. _But just because I'm rich, doesn't mean I don't know what misery's like._ Maybe what he had said wasn't entirely true - maybe she did understand him better than he thought, somehow - but Kai wasn't about to retract his statement. "I may have made some good choices, but that doesn't make me a good person. And even if I am, she shouldn't be advocating for it. She's our hostage, and she doesn't care about me, and I don't care about her."

"She hasn't just been a hostage for a while," Yung replied. "You're teaching her how to fight, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah-"

"You wouldn't be teaching her if you didn't care. And you could have gotten one of us to teach her, but you chose to do it yourself, even though as Captain you'd be able to exempt yourself from the task with ease," Yung said.

"I'm the best swordsman," Kai said with a shrug. "And I need something to keep me busy, anyway, when we're at sea for long periods."

"You shared your beer with her."

"So?"

"You don't share you beer with anyone."

"She was thirsty."

"Not for the beer I bet."

Kai looked at him incredulously. "Hey, first of all, sexual innuendos are supposed to be my thing, and second of all, Gyatso is not attracted to me; she's one of the very few women who can resist my charms."

"But you can't resist hers, obviously," Yung smirked. Kai gaped at him. "Oh come on, you think the crew and I don't see the way you teach her how to sword fight? You'd never think of touching us the way you touch her."

Heat flooded Kai's cheeks. "I don't- it -" He sighed. "Look, Yung, why did you come to talk to me? To convince me that what Gyatso said was right? Because the crew wants some gossip?"

"I came to check on my boy," Yung said, his smirk being replaced by a more serious, thoughtful frown. "And to tell you that Jinora isn't going to push for answers, and that you don't have to worry about her blabbing about it to anyone; it's not her type."

"I wasn't worried." But Kai looked a little relieved anyway.

Yung clapped him on the shoulder. "So, you're going to be okay?"

"Tomorrow, yeah. Just give me tonight to work through it," Kai requested. Yung smiled slightly, standing up and walking out of the room, leaving Kai mercifully alone. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing again.

He did join the crew for dinner, and noticed Jinora watching him as he walked in. Kai raised his eyebrows at her as he took his seat at the head of the table. Her new chair was a nice one, made of a dark type of wood. (Oak maybe?) She caught his eye and she gave him a small smile, and Kai nodded.

Jinora was distracted when Otaku started talking to her (she had finally finished the book he'd lent her) but was content knowing at least, Kai wasn't mad at her and that tomorrow, things would be normal.

Not that she cared, of course.


End file.
